Sylvania



(No Model.)

I. B. WILDMAN. I TENSION TAKE-UP DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES. No..- 601,297;

Patented Mar. 29, 1898.

till/1116517114 Iny'entor. 3 MM FIG 9,

Witnesses.

Attorney.

ms uonms PETERS 00.. PHOTO-LITNQ, wnsnmcrrcu, D c.,

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK B. WILDMAN, OF NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE MCMIOHAEL' & WILDMAN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF PENN- SYLVANIA.

TENSION-TAKE- UP DEVICE FOR KNITTING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 601,297, dated March 29, 1898.

V i A: Application filed. April 6,1896. $eria1 No.- 586,397. (No model.)

T 00% whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK B. WILDMAN, of Norristown, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Tension-Take-Up Devices for Knitting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to tension-take-up devices for knitting-machines; and it consists of the improvements which are hereinafter described and claimed.

My invention is particularly adapted totension-take-up devices of the general character shown in Letters Patent No. 535,392, dated March 12, 1895, and granted to me jointly with A. McMichael; and it consists of improvements designed especially to reduce the friction and wear and to render the device more sensitive in its action. a

My invention also embraces improvements in the means employed for regulating or ad justing the take up devices, which improve- Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 5 6 of Fig. 4.

A is the knitting-head, which may be of any suitable construction. 1

The particulanform or type of knitting-machine employed is immaterial. The machine shown is taken merely as an illustration.

B is the rotating driving-gear, by which the machine is operated through a bevel-gearb.

D is a disk carried by depending rods 0 O, secured to a rotating part of the machine and guided in an annular frame E, below which is located the annular toothed rack e.

F F are two transversely-arranged rollers, preferably corrugated or grooved, journaled in bearings 'inthe frames 0 O and geared together at one end by gears ff, so as to rotate together at uniform speed. The knitted fab- 5o ric is fed between these rollers F F.

G is a worm-Wheel carried by the shaft of one of the rollers F.

H is a vertical'shaft journaled in a bracket 2' of one of the'frames U and havingits lower end, which projects below the disk D, provided with a pinion I, engaging the teeth of the stationary rack e.

J is awormon the shaft H, engaging the worm-wheel G.

L is a disk constituting the fixed member of a frictionclutch carried fast upon the shaft 'H. K is the other member of the friction-clutch, connectedwith the worm J.

M is a spring acting on the worm J to force the disk K upon the fixed disk L, so that the worm will rotate with the shaft H.

So far as I have described the apparatus it is similar to what is shown in Letters Patent No. 535,392, before referred to. In that ap- 7o paratus the spring M pressed directly against the base of the clutch and the tension of the spring was regulated by an adjustable plate, which supported the base of the spring.

I shall now describe my improvements as applied to this apparatus, which are designed to give a firmer bearing for the'worm J, to reduce friction, and to makethe take-up device as" a whole more sensitive to its action.

N is a bearing-sleeve interposed between the spring M and the worm J and supporting on an annular shoulder n awearing-ring 0, between which and the base j of the worm J are interposed antifriction-balls 'P. The base of the clutch J thus rests upon a rollerbearing and may turn freely without undue friction.

I have shown the shaft H journaled in a tubular bearing-sleeve Q, secured to the disk D'and projecting up into the sleeve N, which 0 embraces it. The spring M is shown surrounding the bearing Q and sleeve N.

Instead of adjusting the tension of the spring from below to regulate the sensitiveness of the device, which proved both inconvenient and objectionable, I accomplish the adjustment by means of the friction-disk L, which I have shown threaded on the shaft H,

so that by turning the disk L it may be moved up or down, thus adjusting the frictional contact with the disk K, which is pressed upward by the spring M. The outer rim of the disk L may be enlarged and knurled, as shown, to facilitate the turning of it.

R is a jam-nut threaded on the shaft II above the disk L, which acts to lock the disk against accidental movement.

The operation of the device Will be readily understood. As the plate D and frames 0 rotate the shaft II is driven through the rack e and pinion I. The worm J is rotated through the friction-clutch L K and turns freely on the spring-pressed ball-bearing N O P, thus driving the take-up rollers F F. \Vhen the tension upon the rollers F F due to the upward pull of the fabric between them becomes excessive, the worm J is moved down upon the shaft II by the worm-wheel G, thus moving the disk K and relieving the frictional contact on the disk L, so that the driving of the rollers F F by the worm J ceases. The instant that the upward pull on the rollers F F is released the spring M, acting on the bearing N O P, raises the worm J and presses the disk K in contact with the disk L, thus restoring the driving connection between the shaft and worm.

The minor details of construction may be varied without departing from the invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a tension-take-up device for a knitting-machine, the combination with the takeup rollers, of a rotary shaft, gearing between the take-up rollers and the rotary shaft, one member of which is carried loosely on said shaft, a spring-pressed roller-bearing for said member at one end, and a friction-clutch on the rotary shaft, one member of which is fast thereon, and the other connected with the member of the gearing which is loosely carried by said shaft.

2. In a tension-take-up device for a knitting-machine, the combination with the takeup rollers, of a rotary shaft, gearing between the take-up rollers and the rotary shaft, one member of which is carried loosely on said shaft, a spring-pressed roller-bearing for said member at one end, and a friction-clutch on the rotary shaft, one member of which is fast thereon, but with means for longitudinal adjustment, and the other connected with the member of the gearing which is loosely carried by said shaft.

3. In a tension-take-up device for knittingmaehines, the combination of the take -up rollers, rotary shaft II, worm-wheel G on the shaft of one of the rollers, spring-pressed worm J loose on the shaft II and engaging the worm-wheel G, the friction-disk K loose on the shaft II and carried by the worm J, of the friction-disk L threaded on the shaft II and .adapted when turned to move longitudinally thereon to adjust the frictional contact between the disks L and K.

4. In a tension-take-up device for knitting machines, the combination of the take-up rollers, rotary shaft II, worm-wheel G on the shaft of one of the rollers, spring-pressed worm J loose on the shaft II and engaging the Worm-wheel G, the friction-disk K loose on the shaft II and carried by the worm J, of the friction-disk L threaded on the shaft II and adapted when turned to move longitudinally thereon to adjust the frictional contact between the disks L and K, and a jam-nut R for locking the disk L when it has been adjusted.

5. In a tension-take-up device for knittingmaehines, the combination of the take-up rollers, the rotary shaft II, the worm-wheel G on one of the rollers, the worm J loose on the shaft II, the clutch member K carried by the worm, the clutch member L carried by the shaft, with the bearing N, spring M and the antifrietion-balls P interposed between the bearing N and worm J.

In testimony of which invention I have hereunto set my hand. I

FRANK I \VILDMAN.

\Vitnesses:

MAGGIE POTTER, AVONIA FRIcK. 

